this morning on "early today," health care months tiflts. president owe bam some pushes against against critics while congressional lawmakers face angry crowds. karl rove behind the ntroversial 2006 firings of u.s. attorneys. and playerup. a bench clearing brawl breaks out between the boston red sox a bench clearing brawl breaks out between the boston red sox and the detroit tigers. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning.

i'm kristen well ger. today we begin with town hall turmoil. with public meetings on the issue of health care across the nation, president obama managed to hold a civil meeting on the subject yesterday and used a new spin on his campaign for health care reform. nbc's steve handelsman reports. >> reporter: president obama went to new hampshire to reform late his health care pitch. it's taken a beating in the latest polls. insurance reform is the new obama spin. >> getting a good deal from the insurance coverers. that's what i'm fighting for. >> reporter: no ban on reexisting conditions. no canceling insurance if you get sick. >> your health insurance should be there for you when it counts. not just when you're paying premiums but when you actually get sick. and it will be when we pass this plan. >> reporter: outside were pro

obama demonstrators and opponents. some with nasty signs. one with a handgun. licensed say police. some fear forced euthanasia of seniors. not true, he said, one of many wild rumors. >> where we do disagree, let's disagree over things real, not these wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that has been proposed. >> reporter: participants were not screened but not disrupted. burr this was democrat arlen specter's town hall in pennsylvania. >> wait a minute. wait a minute. he -- wait a minute! >> reporter: democrat mccaskill's meeting. >> every time they say it's the manufacturers, they pour gasoline on the fire. >> heating up the summer depaet

over what president obama calls health insurance reform. the end of a 30-month investigation, house democrats say they have proof that karl rove and other top officials with the bush administration played a critical role in the firings of nine u.s. attorneys back in 2006. thousands of documents show what appears to be political interference with the justice department. according to transcripts of closed door testimony, former white hou counsel harriet miers say rove was, quote, very disappointed with an attorney in new mexico. in her words, rove, quote, wanted something done bit. in the latest development in the ongoing investigation into michael jackson's death, yesterday police officers and drug enforcement administration agents raided a fire department si in western las vegas. propofol administered by jackson's fekz as a sleep aid

came from applied pharmacy services in las vegas. an earlier search at the home of dr. conrad murray reportedly led police to believe that the pharmacy filled the prescription. they would not release details about jackson's death while the investigation continues. a driver in california hit speeds of 100 miles per hour as he attempted to escape a police traffic stop. officials say the suspect ran several stop lights and even drove on the wrong side of the road before being cornered in a residential driveway. no one was hurt but that man is in custody. michigan police are questioning a suspect they believe pulled off a robbery. the robber pointed a gun at a robber's head. police say he was trying to leave with the woman as a hostage but was only able the get away with her purse. a mother blaming in youtube

video for her son's severe burns. the 13-year-old boy watched a guy in a banana suit lighting himself on fire and tried to recreate it. the boy who copied it is now hospitalized with second and third degree burns. back in california, cleanup crews are on the scene after an amtrak train sliced through a trailer carrying 40,000 pounds of tomatoes. the collision led to a giant mess, but fortunately no one was injured. officials say some of the tomatoes are salvageable and will be given to local food banks. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. what a cleandown out there. >> did you see the meteor showers when you were coming in? >> i didn't. i missed that. >> it's hard in new york city with all the lights. but if you live in a rural area, the best meteor showers on the

earth. it will happen midnight to 5:00. we're running out of window do you want to look outside. we have walt of clouds in the east. that's blocking the views of some people trying to see it overnight. we are looking at a tiny area of rain over west virginia, southern virginia, right along our front. high pressure in the great lakes. great day from detroit to chicago. early morning clouds in new england but should be a nice afternoon. where the humid is south of the front we have showers and storms. beckley, bloomfield, pushing its way to roanoke. later this afternoon, with the heat in the southeast, we'll pop up more showers and afternoon storms. nothing too steer. new york, 77. easily up to mid to upper 80s. same with d.c., norfolk. one of the hotter spots in the deep south. we're talking mid-90s before the storms arrive, charleston, savannah, along the beaches.

orlando, 93. a quick moving shower or storm. shouldn't ruin any of your plans outside, especially if you're headed to the theme parks. i mentioned beautiful weather. how does that look? charlotte, low humidity, low 80s. that's a look at your national forecast. now the weather outside your window. southeast, that's where the humidity is higher. we'll spark storms in wilmington, charlotte, charleston, savannah. keep the umbrella handy. that's a look at your wednesday forecast. bill, thanks. while economists say the recession is over, today we'll hear what big ben and the fed have to say about the weather. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus; a hot couple have the flash bulbs popping on the red carpet. a strange story of sex, abortion, extortion and a

high-profile college hoop coach. you're watching "early today."

good morning. welcome back to "early today." i'm kristen welker. here are some of your top headlines this morning. u.s. marines launch an assault on southern afghanistan under the grip of the taliban for years. so far there's no word of casualties, but u.s. force versus met heavy resistance in the assault which comes just days before the country's presidential election. tomko lom bee yann drug boss who appeared on the fbi 10 most wanted list next to osama bin laden. prosecutors will recommend the man who was once said to be providing over half the colombian cocaine in the united states spend 45 years in prison. it sounds like a cheesy

movie plot but the host of a tv crime show is ordering killings to boost ratings. the host, right wing politician and former policeman faces drug trafficking and gang involvement. in paris, a russian visitor described as unhinged tossed a mug at the mona lisa painting. she is reportedly frustrated in her attempts to become a french citiz citizen. now here's an early look how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens 9,241 after dropping 96 points on tuesday. the s&p was down 12. and the nasdaq lost 22 points. taking a look at overseas trading, in tokyo, the nikkei fell 150 points while in hong kong, the hang seng plunged 638 points. the federal reserve and what

they have to say this afternoon when they deliver their report card on the nation's economy. analysts aren't expecting the central bank to deliver any rate hike today but investors they have been holding out hope for is signs that the economy is indeed on the mend. a survey conducted by "the wall street journal" of 50 of the nation's economists find the majority believe the recession that began in december 2007 is over. meanwhile, financial stocks were sent tumbling on tuesday by bearish comments who pre-dick the banking industry is not yet out of the woods. shares of citigroup and wells fargo dropped 6%. a report released by the labor department yesterday found those americans who have jobs are doing more work. the amount of output per hour was up 6% for the second quarter. in federal court yesterday, bernard madoff's number two

pleaded guilty to help carrying out the biggest fraud ever. he pled charges to 10 charges and was denied bail before sentencing. the red hot cash for clunkers program. despite the recent $2 billion refueling from the government, industry analyst seized consumer interest dying down. finally, critics team in dubai was craving curry in london tuesday. what do they do? call for delivery, of course. the cost, more than $7,000. guess they're not worried about saving. blackmail in college basketball, tiger gets away from mouthing off, and a fan makes a great grab in milwaukee. plus, red sox and tigers blow off steam the old-fashioned way in fenway park. the top weather story will be thunderstorms this afternoon down in the southeast. the rest of the country looking

at a typical summer day. your regional forecast is coming up. you're watching "early t

good morning. if you're just waking up this is "early today" n. sports, at one point last night's baseball game between the red sox and the

detroit tigers looked more like a friday night fight. here's bill seward with an early look at all your sports headlines. hi, everybody. maybe the red sox are still angry about being swept by new york over the weekend. because frustrations boiled over last night in boston. hosting the tigers, second inning. youkilis hit by a pitch. here we go. charges the mound. into the ground. bench is cleared. fight night at fenway. youkilis also hit by a pitch on monday. that was the straw that nearly broke youkilis's back. both ejected. works out for boston. mike lowell replaces youkilis, hits a pair of home runs. sox beat the tigers 7-5. to the bronx, yankees and blue jays. another home rm come back for new york. solo shot ties at the eighth. posada, back-to-back jacks. yanks win 7-5. five and a half game lead on the sox. golf, contrary to reports, tiger

woods said he was not fined for criticizing a pga tour official on sunday. he won after he and harrington were put on the clock for slow play. strange story from college basketball. louisville coach admitted to police he had consensual sex for a woman who tried to extort $10 million for him. he said he gave the woman $3,000 for an abortion. it all happened back in 2003. the woman was charged with extortion just four months ago. finally, back to the diamond. milwaukee hosting san diego. bill hall uncorks a mammoth home run. keep watching. the fan in left makes an amazing catch. hey, kids, that's why you bring your glove. brewers could use that in the outfield. they lost to the padres, 13-6. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm bill seward.

>> great catch, indeed. a baby, a breakup ask a big contract. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, with a smile on her face and a dip in her hip, she helps keep new york moving. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this wednesday morning.

a tropical depression formed yesterday just off the coast of africa. the official forecast for the national hurricane center takes it safely out into the central atlantic by monday of next week. but it should become our first tram storm, hannah, of the season. again, no threat to any land area. showers and thunderstorms down here in the southeast. a typical afternoon variety. we'll be beautiful from the ohio valley through the great lakes. not a bad day at all up there in new england. if you're watching us on lex 18, take a look at over 80 sculpt e sculptures and paintings of kentucky life at the art museum at the university of kentucky. that's your eastern event of the day. >> all right, bill, thanks. now an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. for the first time since the death of his wife natasha richardson, liam neeson walked the red carpet.

in it he plays a former irish paramilitary haunted by memories of murder. brad pitt and an lean know jolie brought hollywood to a stand still for the tinseltown premier of "inglourious basterds." jennifer hudson has given birth to her first child, a boy named david. brooks and dunn are calling it quits. simon cowell's new three-year deal with "american idol" with pay him $45 million a year. peewee herman is back at least temporarily. he will be reviving it for a 10-day theater run. that takes me back to the '80 opening statement, peewee's play

house. >> we loved his character but maybe not the man so much. a love/hate. >> it will be interesting to see. well, this comes from wnbc new york where one traffic cop is putting a whole new spin on the daily commute. although she said herman job is to keep people safe, she shows off with her dance moves. she said it makes tough work more enjoyable. i think that would put a smile on my face the whole day. >> a busy intersection in new york city. >> that's multitaskng. >> not some of the best drivers. >> that's right. i'm kristen welker. this is your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

>> top of the morning to you. we are seeing some spotty shower activity. nothing really major. the majority of the activity is over west virginia where there is an area of low pressure. that will give us some clouds today. let's take a look at our whether computer -- whether computeeath.

it is significantly cooler today. 85 degrees-88 degrees. a slight chance for some isolated storms and went out of the north. a transitional they. -- day. more on your weekend ahead coming up. >> here is a look ahead to "11 news today." >> the suspect accused of shooting a 5 year-old girl says he is not guilty in the as a video to prove it. the details are straight ahead. >> in washington, a standing room only at a health-care town hall. president obama tried to dispel rumors about health care reform. that story is coming up. >> no problems on the roadways.